Yikes, BT, hope you are ok. You might feel more bruised and sore tomorrow.
I know - I'm feeling bruised and sore now! My wife is concerned that I might have Broken Something, but I don't think I have. Quite frightening to think what could have been the consequences, though.
Amen to that. Falls on Patches of Treachery are greatly to be feared, and avoided if at all possible.
Arkland the Anxious awaits the next instalment of what is being billed as a 'multi-hazard event' (formerly known simply as January). After yesterday's Ice, cleared by last night's Wind and Rain, we've had enough Sun-Shine to enable me to safely get to Tess Coe and back, and to indulge in a short session of S & Q.
Cloud is now covering the Firmament, in readiness for the next lot of Heavy Rain.
At least the Ark's domestic water system is working again, having been frozen for a day or two, or at least it will be, once the big Tank on the aft deck has been filled. Meanwhile, the battery which powers the Pump is being charged up...
SOSSIDGES n'MASH with ONION GRAVY for lunch, and more of the Christmas CHEESE (Shropshire Blue ) for later.
At least the Ark's domestic water system is working again, having been frozen for a day or two, or at least it will be, once the big Tank on the aft deck has been filled. Meanwhile, the battery which powers the Pump is being charged up...
It does sound more convenient (if less interesting) being a mere landlubber.
At least the Ark's domestic water system is working again, having been frozen for a day or two, or at least it will be, once the big Tank on the aft deck has been filled. Meanwhile, the battery which powers the Pump is being charged up...
It does sound more convenient (if less interesting) being a mere landlubber.
Sausages are on the menu for tonight.
Ha! I spoke too soon, as it appears that the 12v Pump has failed...happily, a replacement is in stock, and will (weather permitting) be fitted tomorrow. It means getting into the Engine Room, which is not too easy for me these days, so Neighbour S has offered to help. It's just a question of disconnecting the old pump, fitting the inlet and outlet hoses to the new one, and then connecting it to the battery. Simples...
We Arklanders sacrifice a degree of convenience for the sheer pleasure of being awkward, and choosing a slightly more ramshackle Bohemian lifestyle.
It's cheaper than owing or renting bricks-and-mortar, too...
I really enjoyed my walk through your town @Puzzler , I've never really explored it before, and I was impressed. There were decided patches of treachery in places, but though I slipped a couple of times I managed to stay on my feet. Hope you are OK @Baptist Trainfan, that sounds nasty. The weather may or may not turn nasty tomorrow and Friday here. The meeting I have on Friday will probably be an on-line one just in case. @North East Quine , hope you enjoy your enforced break from actually going out and doing things, and that Captain Pyjamas enjoys the snow @la vie en rouge .
As well as walking I have managed to finish my Christmas jigsaw so a productive day.
Another one here having sausages for dinner. Though due to a minor miscalculation, I only have one maris piper potato left, so will be having them with pasta, not mash. A little easier to clean up afterwards, at least.
Yikes, BT, hope you are ok. You might feel more bruised and sore tomorrow.
I know - I'm feeling bruised and sore now! My wife is concerned that I might have Broken Something, but I don't think I have. Quite frightening to think what could have been the consequences, though.
Might be a good idea to see your doctor for a quick once-over. When I experienced an unintended vertical Newtonian attraction event last year, it was the bloody bit that received immediate attention - the bony bit that caused grief and aggravation a year later was overlooked.
Thanks. I remember an event when I was 16, jumping off a wagon on the Ffestiniog Railway and sitting down very heavily on an unyielding iron rail. It only really hurt some time later. I'll "keep an eye on it" but I think the doctors would send me to A&E for an X-ray and I don't fancy the long wait. BTW there was no blood!
Ouch, BT - that sounds double-plus-ungood, as Orwell might have put it. Hope there's no serious damage!
Despite (or maybe because of) a rise in temperature to above freezing, there were decided Patches of Treachery here, and I was walking very gingerly. So far, so good.
Work was very quiet; the bosses haven't quite got back into the swing of things, but I don't expect that to last long.
When I got home, I dismantled the Christmas tree (which I unplugged yesterday), and put it away in its drawer. I couldn't be bothered to cook, so I grazed for supper on tuna salad, CHEESE, and TOAST. Mince pies may well feature later.
Enforced Sittage today, and Quaffage likely to be limited to the likes of hot lemon & honey. Out of Office notice posted, but some emails and phone calls will have to be attended to nonetheless. Oh for the days of communication by letter, and no expectation of an instant reply.
Hope you are not too sore this morning @Baptist Trainfan and that you now have water @puzzler.
Lip reading doesn't start till next week so I have a morning to catch up with myself. I've just started doing on-line Pilates on mornings I'm not doing other exercise. I'm sure I did the same sessions during Lockdown and I realise I really am getting older as all the moves seem so much harder.
I'm torn between going to a Pilates class tomorrow morning or my philosophy class. If I'm doing the latter I really need to mug up on Bertrand Russell. One or both may be cancelled of course if the latest storm dumps snow on us rather than the rainy sleet predicted.
We've had no postal deliveries this year. Birthday cards I have posted are still in the letterbox outside the village Post Office uncollected.
The Post Office in the nearest town is open today for people awaiting urgent mail to go in person to the Post Office, and they'll try to find items amongst the undelivered mail. I think there are two Christmas cards for us still waiting to be delivered, but those are, of course, not urgent.
Whereas in Embra - possibly under the sheltering mantel of an urban and estuarine microclimate - has no snow. Just very cold - and damp.
I tottered up to the shops, having first fitted my yaktrax. Mostly the roads and pavements were fine, but there was just enough in the way of frozen puddles and doubtful patches to make me glad I had.
Looking out over the skyscrapers of the City and Canary Wharf, the tops are obscured by low cloud. Keeping a close eye on the trains, in case it's not possible to leave London later.
No snow left here, it’s grey and damp now with heavy rain expected.
I have been to yoga this morning but decided not to stick around for coffee as I wasn’t in the mood for chatting. I’ve put the shopping away and done some laundry and am about to check up on my students before spending the afternoon writing.
Lamb stroganoff and dumplings for tea, I think.
Grey and damp in Arkland the Cheerless, where we 're enjoying stage 2 of today's edition of this week's multi-hazard event (aka weather). This morning, stage 1 was thick Fog, but we now have Heavy Rain, forecast to last for the next 36 hours...
I've managed to get the water pump to work, by the simple and unsophisticated method of tapping it with a Hammer (to shift a blockage). It still needs replacing, as it's leaking rather badly, but it can wait a day or three until the Rain has stopped...
Rain started here about mid-day, but so far is not a heavy as the forecast indicates. The percentage chance of rain for the rest of the day, and overnight to 7am tomorrow, is mid nineties upwards. I'm glad we live on a hill, so the rain continues past us in a downward direction until it falls over the cliff.
I'm pleased to see that BT had a decent night's rest, and is not immobilised by aches & pains from his slip on the ice.
No rain, sleet or snow here yet, but it is cold and dismal. We had very few people in the shop during my book shop shift this afternoon. I walked home with a colleague who walks more slowly than me so was feeling pretty chilly when we got to the end of our road. I then met a neighbour who wanted to talk about an ecumenical service she is organising, I felt very cold indeed by the time I got in.
The Rain is Raining here, but not as heavily as They said. The various Annoying Drips are beginning to drip annoyingly, but it is what it is, and I simply offer them up to Hadad, the Sumerian God of Weather, Hurricanes, Storms, Thunder, and Rain.
There are BAGELS for tea, with Cream CHEESE, and a new episode of A Touch Of Frost ( a repeat of the original, that is) on YouTube later.
I've just refilled our bird feeder; the snow in our back garden was well over the top of my wellies and it was actually difficult to wade the 12ft or so to get to the bird feeder.
That said, watching the birds on the feeder has been one of the joys of the past few days.
One of the problems now is that we are running out of places to put shovelled snow. The fire station entrance has been kept clear, but the snow from there is now in a 6ft high pile partially blocking the pavement and road. The pavement on the road to the church from my house has been completely blocked at one point by a 4 ft high wall of snow; I couldn't just step onto the road because the snowplough has created a ridge of packed snow at the edge of the road so I had to retrace my steps until I came to a spot where an access gap had been dug between pavement and road. But then, of course I was committed to walking in the road until I came to an access gap to get back onto the pavement. Fortunately everyone is being sensible and walking and driving carefully.
It has warmed up and started raining. The snow is no more
Today I have tidied all the Christmas stuff away and cleaned the house to an acceptable level. Usually I don't like taking it down, but this time I think I'm quite glad to have everything back to normal.
Tonight we are starting our new orchestra programme. I have not even got as far as printing the score. We are playing some Very Hard Music (Tchaikovsky's 1st Symphony) and I fear my sightreading is not going to be up to the job
Here's a nice video of the cheerful green-and-yellow trams of Helsinki, running in conditions which the erstwhile green Aberdeen trams would also have coped with:
Soon I am being collected to be driven to tonight’s special rehearsal, so I am really hoping to get back home safely in a timely fashion tonight. There will definitely be rain, sleet, maybe snow -or we may just miss it.
I know it's not Burns Night yet, but it's never too early to have haggis, neeps and tatties, with a good Scottish ale and maybe a drapeen of the cratur.
After soaring to 2°C earlier, it's now back to zero.
Arkland the Anxious awaits the next instalment of what is being billed as a 'multi-hazard event' (formerly known simply as January).
Heavy rain and quite windy here just now. I am due to go out this evening and very much hope the rain stays as rain and doesn't change to snow. Mr Nen says that according to his weather app if that happens here at all it won't be until after midnight, but as I don't trust the app further than I could throw it I am not feeling totally confident.
Glad you are not feeling too bruised and sore today @Baptist Trainfan .
Salmon and roast vegetables in parsley sauce for tea.
Left the office early and made it to Waterloo and am on a train heading southwest of the big smoke.
Pity I opted for my fleece and not the waterproof coat.
Leftover shepherd's pie when I get home.
Left the office early and made it to Waterloo and am on a train heading southwest of the big smoke.
Pity I opted for my fleece and not the waterproof coat.
Leftover shepherd's pie when I get home.
Many aeons ago, I used to head south-east from Waterloo (East, that is), not uncommonly perched on my briefcase in the central aisle...
My recollection is that the trains (EPBs and CEPS for those who know) were quite well-heated in winter, and I was warm and dry by the time we reached Our Town some fifty minutes down the line.
Here's a nice video of the cheerful green-and-yellow trams of Helsinki, running in conditions which the erstwhile green Aberdeen trams would also have coped with:
No snow here, but we have rain. I felt a bit guilty about the neighbour so have suggested going out for a coffee. I'm sure I had the date of the service she mentioned in my diary, but I can't find it and I don't want to offer to help in case I'll double book myself. I've already done that for Saturday!
Although the numbers suggested it wasn't as cold today as it was on Monday, it felt just as cold - and there wasn't even that much wind to make it so. There were also some untreated Patches of Treachery on the pavements, making me hobble about even more like an old lady than I usually do.
As I was having my nails done after work, I got a ready-to-zap pasta thingie from Tessie's for supper, and it was all right, as these things go. I was glad I remembered about the leftover cooked chicken from the other night, which I added to it.
I am back home after my evening meeting and am very glad to be so. Not that it is snowing but it's wet and windy and cold; the kind of evening to hunker down and wait for the storm to pass.
I am home too. The rehearsal was not too long. As we left the building it started to snow but it was very wet snow which soon turned to heavy rain. There was a lot of water on the roads.
I don’t know what to wear this week. I wear lots of layers indoors and even more to go out, then when I go into shops, medical centre, library, community café aka the Methodist centre, I am far too hot. It is a different matter in church where sometimes it is warmer outside than in.
My nephew has just sent a photo from their bedroom window in Dudley. Pretty deep snow, all fallen in the last couple of hours, and forecast to continue until 7am.
Still no snow here, but nasty cold rain and wind - however nothing especially wilder than it often is on the bit of the channel coast.
No snow here either; just grey and breezy conditions.
Mr Nen and I are off shopping this morning, he to speak to Computer People about his Computer and me to look for an outfit for a Do we have at the end of February. I am the world's worst person at buying clothes and it doesn't usually help to go with people either because in the past they've persuaded me into things I'd never have bought if left to myself, and end up never wearing.
However, I am holding on to the promise of a coffee shop and Waterstones.
Pouring with rain here, with a possibly of sleet tonight.
Another day of admin, writing a tutorial, marking an essay then phoning a student. I’m hoping to get some more writing done this afternoon, half way through the chapter now.
Clothing is very much theme and (minor) variations. The mainstay is fleece trousers + merino and alpaca woolie, with different tops and socks. A steady churn on the tops which are knits/long sleeved. I look forward to the milder weather just to get to wear something else.
Congratulations to KLBlet#1 @KarlLB. I hope you find many more pleasant occasions to wear the suit.
Unlike @Nenya I like going clothes shopping, but buy most of mine on-line from my favourite shops. I hope you find an outfit you like and will wear more than once though.
This morning was a bit of a failure as I woke up far too late to get to the Pilates class I'd booked and although I could have made the Philosophy class instead I really didn't want to rush breakfast or my post-breakfast tea. Instead I've been doing housework.
I do have to be out this afternoon for a meeting. The weather here is much better than predicted, with no snow or rain either at the moment so I haven't got an excuse to attend on Teams. I've also promised the deputy clerk to go and pick up some leaflets from the Town Hall to distribute in my bit of town, and my husband that I'll get some bits and pieces in Waitrose. I'm sure all that weight bearing exercise with make up for not going out this morning.
KLBlet#1 passes out at HMS Raleigh next weekend so it's Look As Smart As My Inner Scruffiness Generation Field Will Allow.
As a seaman or as a subbie?
Subs. Which is ironic given my well known views on certain aspects of our defence policy. But it means we have raised an independent adult who has his own opinions rather than parroting mine, which is a positive.
Still sing Leon Rosselson under my breath - Trident, Trident, money down the drain/it can kill all living creatures and then kill them all again...
Congratulations to KLBlet#1 @KarlLB. I hope you find many more pleasant occasions to wear the suit.
Unlike @Nenya I like going clothes shopping, but buy most of mine on-line from my favourite shops. I hope you find an outfit you like and will wear more than once though.
This morning was a bit of a failure as I woke up far too late to get to the Pilates class I'd booked and although I could have made the Philosophy class instead I really didn't want to rush breakfast or my post-breakfast tea. Instead I've been doing housework.
I do have to be out this afternoon for a meeting. The weather here is much better than predicted, with no snow or rain either at the moment so I haven't got an excuse to attend on Teams. I've also promised the deputy clerk to go and pick up some leaflets from the Town Hall to distribute in my bit of town, and my husband that I'll get some bits and pieces in Waitrose. I'm sure all that weight bearing exercise with make up for not going out this morning.
Suits are mostly for job interviews and funerals. This is probably as pleasant an event as suit events get.
KLBlet#1 passes out at HMS Raleigh next weekend so it's Look As Smart As My Inner Scruffiness Generation Field Will Allow.
As a seaman or as a subbie?
Subs. Which is ironic given my well known views on certain aspects of our defence policy. But it means we have raised an independent adult who has his own opinions rather than parroting mine, which is a positive.
Still sing Leon Rosselson under my breath - Trident, Trident, money down the drain/it can kill all living creatures and then kill them all again...
Just take some pride in hos achievement. I worked ( as a civilian contractor MO) in a RAN base in Sinny ( aka HMAS Pinafore) from 2005-16) & met my share of sweet young things ( baby officers from HMAS Creswell south of Wollongong) & brand new seamen from HMAS Cerberus ( south of Melbourne)
It was interesting to watch them grow and develop ; especially the subbies who became LEUTs once they got their medical degrees. I did my best to introduce them to Subversion 1.1
Comments
Really horrible.
Hope you feel better soon.
Arkland the Anxious awaits the next instalment of what is being billed as a 'multi-hazard event' (formerly known simply as January). After yesterday's Ice, cleared by last night's Wind and Rain, we've had enough Sun-Shine to enable me to safely get to Tess Coe and back, and to indulge in a short session of S & Q.
Cloud is now covering the Firmament, in readiness for the next lot of Heavy Rain.
At least the Ark's domestic water system is working again, having been frozen for a day or two, or at least it will be, once the big Tank on the aft deck has been filled. Meanwhile, the battery which powers the Pump is being charged up...
SOSSIDGES n'MASH with ONION GRAVY for lunch, and more of the Christmas CHEESE (Shropshire Blue
Sausages are on the menu for tonight.
Ha! I spoke too soon, as it appears that the 12v Pump has failed...happily, a replacement is in stock, and will (weather permitting) be fitted tomorrow. It means getting into the Engine Room, which is not too easy for me these days, so Neighbour S has offered to help. It's just a question of disconnecting the old pump, fitting the inlet and outlet hoses to the new one, and then connecting it to the battery. Simples...
We Arklanders sacrifice a degree of convenience for the sheer pleasure of being awkward, and choosing a slightly more ramshackle Bohemian lifestyle.
It's cheaper than owing or renting bricks-and-mortar, too...
@North East Quine , hope you enjoy your enforced break from actually going out and doing things, and that Captain Pyjamas enjoys the snow @la vie en rouge .
As well as walking I have managed to finish my Christmas jigsaw so a productive day.
Might be a good idea to see your doctor for a quick once-over. When I experienced an unintended vertical Newtonian attraction event last year, it was the bloody bit that received immediate attention - the bony bit that caused grief and aggravation a year later was overlooked.
Despite (or maybe because of) a rise in temperature to above freezing, there were decided Patches of Treachery here, and I was walking very gingerly. So far, so good.
Work was very quiet; the bosses haven't quite got back into the swing of things, but I don't expect that to last long.
When I got home, I dismantled the Christmas tree (which I unplugged yesterday), and put it away in its drawer. I couldn't be bothered to cook, so I grazed for supper on tuna salad, CHEESE, and TOAST. Mince pies may well feature later.
Lip reading doesn't start till next week so I have a morning to catch up with myself. I've just started doing on-line Pilates on mornings I'm not doing other exercise. I'm sure I did the same sessions during Lockdown and I realise I really am getting older as all the moves seem so much harder.
I'm torn between going to a Pilates class tomorrow morning or my philosophy class. If I'm doing the latter I really need to mug up on Bertrand Russell. One or both may be cancelled of course if the latest storm dumps snow on us rather than the rainy sleet predicted.
We've had no postal deliveries this year. Birthday cards I have posted are still in the letterbox outside the village Post Office uncollected.
The Post Office in the nearest town is open today for people awaiting urgent mail to go in person to the Post Office, and they'll try to find items amongst the undelivered mail. I think there are two Christmas cards for us still waiting to be delivered, but those are, of course, not urgent.
I tottered up to the shops, having first fitted my yaktrax. Mostly the roads and pavements were fine, but there was just enough in the way of frozen puddles and doubtful patches to make me glad I had.
Looking out over the skyscrapers of the City and Canary Wharf, the tops are obscured by low cloud. Keeping a close eye on the trains, in case it's not possible to leave London later.
I have been to yoga this morning but decided not to stick around for coffee as I wasn’t in the mood for chatting. I’ve put the shopping away and done some laundry and am about to check up on my students before spending the afternoon writing.
Lamb stroganoff and dumplings for tea, I think.
I've managed to get the water pump to work, by the simple and unsophisticated method of tapping it with a Hammer (to shift a blockage). It still needs replacing, as it's leaking rather badly, but it can wait a day or three until the Rain has stopped...
SOSSIDGES n'ROAST SPUDS for lunch. With GRAVY.
I'm pleased to see that BT had a decent night's rest, and is not immobilised by aches & pains from his slip on the ice.
There are BAGELS for tea, with Cream CHEESE, and a new episode of A Touch Of Frost ( a repeat of the original, that is) on YouTube later.
That said, watching the birds on the feeder has been one of the joys of the past few days.
One of the problems now is that we are running out of places to put shovelled snow. The fire station entrance has been kept clear, but the snow from there is now in a 6ft high pile partially blocking the pavement and road. The pavement on the road to the church from my house has been completely blocked at one point by a 4 ft high wall of snow; I couldn't just step onto the road because the snowplough has created a ridge of packed snow at the edge of the road so I had to retrace my steps until I came to a spot where an access gap had been dug between pavement and road. But then, of course I was committed to walking in the road until I came to an access gap to get back onto the pavement. Fortunately everyone is being sensible and walking and driving carefully.
@KarlLB , can we sent you some?
Today I have tidied all the Christmas stuff away and cleaned the house to an acceptable level. Usually I don't like taking it down, but this time I think I'm quite glad to have everything back to normal.
Tonight we are starting our new orchestra programme. I have not even got as far as printing the score. We are playing some Very Hard Music (Tchaikovsky's 1st Symphony) and I fear my sightreading is not going to be up to the job
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyaHyk_yN5o
There are some equally cheerful blue (or orange) buses running, too.
After soaring to 2°C earlier, it's now back to zero.
Heavy rain and quite windy here just now. I am due to go out this evening and very much hope the rain stays as rain and doesn't change to snow. Mr Nen says that according to his weather app if that happens here at all it won't be until after midnight, but as I don't trust the app further than I could throw it I am not feeling totally confident.
Glad you are not feeling too bruised and sore today @Baptist Trainfan .
Salmon and roast vegetables in parsley sauce for tea.
Pity I opted for my fleece and not the waterproof coat.
Leftover shepherd's pie when I get home.
Many aeons ago, I used to head south-east from Waterloo (East, that is), not uncommonly perched on my briefcase in the central aisle...
My recollection is that the trains (EPBs and CEPS for those who know) were quite well-heated in winter, and I was warm and dry by the time we reached Our Town some fifty minutes down the line.
And all tram services running at 10 minute frequencies, or better!
As I was having my nails done after work, I got a ready-to-zap pasta thingie from Tessie's for supper, and it was all right, as these things go. I was glad I remembered about the leftover cooked chicken from the other night, which I added to it.
I don’t know what to wear this week. I wear lots of layers indoors and even more to go out, then when I go into shops, medical centre, library, community café aka the Methodist centre, I am far too hot. It is a different matter in church where sometimes it is warmer outside than in.
Still no snow here, but nasty cold rain and wind - however nothing especially wilder than it often is on the bit of the channel coast.
Mr Nen and I are off shopping this morning, he to speak to Computer People about his Computer and me to look for an outfit for a Do we have at the end of February. I am the world's worst person at buying clothes and it doesn't usually help to go with people either because in the past they've persuaded me into things I'd never have bought if left to myself, and end up never wearing.
However, I am holding on to the promise of a coffee shop and Waterstones.
Another day of admin, writing a tutorial, marking an essay then phoning a student. I’m hoping to get some more writing done this afternoon, half way through the chapter now.
The sleet has eased off for the present.
KLBlet#1 passes out at HMS Raleigh next weekend so it's Look As Smart As My Inner Scruffiness Generation Field Will Allow.
As a seaman or as a subbie?
Unlike @Nenya I like going clothes shopping, but buy most of mine on-line from my favourite shops. I hope you find an outfit you like and will wear more than once though.
This morning was a bit of a failure as I woke up far too late to get to the Pilates class I'd booked and although I could have made the Philosophy class instead I really didn't want to rush breakfast or my post-breakfast tea. Instead I've been doing housework.
I do have to be out this afternoon for a meeting. The weather here is much better than predicted, with no snow or rain either at the moment so I haven't got an excuse to attend on Teams. I've also promised the deputy clerk to go and pick up some leaflets from the Town Hall to distribute in my bit of town, and my husband that I'll get some bits and pieces in Waitrose. I'm sure all that weight bearing exercise with make up for not going out this morning.
Subs. Which is ironic given my well known views on certain aspects of our defence policy. But it means we have raised an independent adult who has his own opinions rather than parroting mine, which is a positive.
Still sing Leon Rosselson under my breath - Trident, Trident, money down the drain/it can kill all living creatures and then kill them all again...
Suits are mostly for job interviews and funerals. This is probably as pleasant an event as suit events get.
Just take some pride in hos achievement. I worked ( as a civilian contractor MO) in a RAN base in Sinny ( aka HMAS Pinafore) from 2005-16) & met my share of sweet young things ( baby officers from HMAS Creswell south of Wollongong) & brand new seamen from HMAS Cerberus ( south of Melbourne)
It was interesting to watch them grow and develop ; especially the subbies who became LEUTs once they got their medical degrees. I did my best to introduce them to Subversion 1.1